Upland brewery to expand beer production

Most 20-somethings are content to buy their booze, but Caleb Staton has been brewing it since he was barely old enough to drink. \n"After I graduated college, I started brewing beer in my basement," he said. "At first it was just a hobby. I was kind of goofing around and figuring it out." \nFive years later, Staton certainly has it figured out. Now Staton, the 27-year-old head brewer for Bloomington's Upland Brewing Company, will have even more of an opportunity to show off his skills. \nUpland Brewing Company was recently purchased by Douglas Dayhoff, who intends to almost double the volume of beer produced by the company with added machinery, said Penn Jensen, the vice president of sales and marketing. \n"Caleb Staton is simply one of the best young brewers in the country," said new owner Dayhoff in a news release.\nThat's high praise, coming from the owner of Indiana's largest craft beer distributor. \n"I was pretty nervous when we first heard because no one knew what the new guy was going to be like," Staton said. "But now that I've met Doug, I am pretty excited. Previously there was no big emphasis on growth, but (Dayhoff) is very eager to expand." \nCurrently, Upland Brewing Company brews about 130,000 gallons of beer each year, Jensen said. Dayhoff will add machinery that will increase production by almost 50 percent, he said. \n"Right now we are selling every ounce of beer we make," Jensen said.\nAnd they're selling it in a state where Budweiser and Miller are the main beers of choice, Jensen said. While craft beers account for only 3 to 4 percent of all beer sales in Indiana -- as opposed to up to 25 percent in California -- Upland holds its own, he said. \n"We are often the number three seller on tap behind Bud Light and Miller Lite," Jensen said. "Our wheat beer is second to none, and we treat it as such." \nThe wheat beer, which Jensen described as "rich Budweiser that is full of taste and not pale and thin," is the No. 1 seller at Upland Brewing Company, he said. As such, it will be a main focus of the plan to expand production, most likely to nearby Midwest cities first. \n"Former IU students and residents of Indiana create demand for the beer out of state," Jensen said. "Especially outside of the state where a lot of IU students end up going, like Louisville and Chicago. We want to bring them quality, hand-crafted beer." \nDespite the changes, regular patrons of Upland can relax. Though Dayhoff has big plans for expansion, there will be no significant changes to the comfortable pub-style atmosphere of the restaurant and beer garden, Jensen said. \n"We might spiff (the \nrestaurant) up a bit, but other than that we won't be changing anything," Jensen said. \nThat includes staff, Jensen said. Everyone who worked for the past owner at Upland Brewing Company still will have a place at the company, he said. \nThat comes as a relief to Bloomington resident and regular patron Trent Abram, who confesses to stopping in to Upland Brewing Company "a little bit too often," he said. \n"It's a good atmosphere, good people and good food," Abram said. "And great beer." \nThe atmosphere may not change, but Staton expects his day-to-day routine to become more strenuous as volume produced goes up, he says. Still, he thinks it will be worth it. \n"The beer is going to get better and better," Staton said.